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A crypto billionaire is returning to Britain so he can donate to Reform.
Ben Delo, one of Britain's youngest self-made billionaires, is coming home from Hong Kong to 'build a war chest' for Nigel Farage ahead of the next election.
His return comes amid Labour plans to cap donations to political parties from Britons living overseas at £100,000 – in a move clearly designed to keep Mr Farage from Downing Street.
Mr Delo accused Keir Starmer of using legislation to 'stack the political deck against the most popular opposition party' and said Labour was playing a 'rigged game'. The expat was able to donate £4million to Reform before the changes.
But Sir Keir's move would mean billionaire Christopher Harborne, who has donated £12million to Reform from Thailand, can no longer support the party as an expat.
With Reform relying on big donations, Mr Delo said he hoped to inspire other rich expats to move back to defy Sir Keir's 'tinpot' attempt to fix the next election.
The co-founder of cryptocurrency trading platform Bitmex said: 'For Labour, sitting on its cushion of trade union funding, the idea that someone might create a level playing field by giving Reform as much money to spend as other parties is intolerable.'
Mr Farage, meanwhile, said that Mr Delo's support would 'help Reform attract more of the skills and talents we need to get ready for government'.
Ben Delo, one of Britain's youngest self-made billionaires, is coming home from Hong Kong to 'build a war chest' for Nigel Farage ahead of the next election
Mr Farage meanwhile said that Mr Delo's support would 'help Reform attract more of the skills and talents we need to get ready for government' (The Reform leader is pictured on Wednesday)
He said: 'It is particularly gratifying to me personally, that someone like Ben – a builder, visionary and problem-solver, who has spent a lifetime grasping trends before other people do, sees the potential of Reform.'
Oxford graduate Mr Delo, who was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome at 11, said the 'chronically dishonest' culture of government makes it difficult for people with autism spectrum disorders to understand what politicians really mean.
He cited the confusing language in the debate over transgender rights as an example of something it is difficult for autistic people to grasp, contrasting it with Mr Farage's plain-speaking style.
The 42-year-old said yesterday: 'This game is stressful for most people, but for anyone wired for truth-seeking, it's downright impossible.'
Mr Delo, who was born in Sheffield, worked for IBM and JP Morgan before setting up his firm. In 2022 he was fined £7.5million by the US for failing to set up an anti-money laundering scheme for his company but was pardoned by Donald Trump last year.
His charitable foundation has given £100million to fund research and education, support autistic children and champion free speech.
He said he had become politically active to help save Britain from the 'entrenched self-deception of our elites' and their 'regime of nonsense'. He praised Reform for 'recognising and articulating the full scale of the problems our country faces', saying: 'For the first time, I feel serious people are looking honestly at what it might take to fix Britain.'
But he said he also admired Tory leader Kemi Badenoch and Rupert Lowe, who set up the Restore Britain party after falling out with Reform.
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